The present invention relates to a swivel bearing for a sun visor for an automotive vehicle and it is useful for a sun visor having a mirror illuminated by an electric light source. The electric conductor and a part of the electric contact for connecting and disconnecting the source of light are associated with the mounting pin of the swivel bearing. The on-off switch positions for the light source are obtained through the relative movement between the mounting pin and the sun visor body upon swiveling displacement of the sun visor. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,864.
It is already known to use the pin of the swivel bearing for guiding the electric line or else to use it merely as one current conducting wire for the source of light in the case of illuminated sun visor mirrors. For double conduction (plus and minus), two wires are passed through the swivel pin, which is then developed hollow to receive the wires.
In another embodiment, the mounting pin is developed from an electrically conductive material. The opposite pole is developed as a wire with another conductor protected by an insulating jacket. It is furthermore known to conduct only a single current conductor through the mounting pin itself, which may then be a metallic pin, and to provide the second current lead in some other manner, for instance, through the opposite mount of the sun visor.
Each of these structural variants, however, has disadvantages. On the one hand, they present manufacturing problems. On the other hand, they impair continuous operation and safety. It is disadvantageous to use a metallic pin, particularly since the swivel mounting pin of a sun visor body always consists of two arms which meet at an angle to each other and thus there is a sharp bend in the electric conductor. Particularly if the mounting pin is manufactured from pipe lengths, serious disadvantages are present, as will be indicated further below.
A metallic mounting pin has the disadvantage that it is necessary to start from a blank which must have first been manufactured, and several steps are then required to bring the pin into its final shape. Deburring of the cut surfaces is required. Otherwise, the sharp, pointed edges result in injury to the bearing upon turning or swinging of the sun visor body. Furthermore, when an insulated electric line is introduced or passed through the mounting pin, its insulation is rapidly damaged. Similarly, a large amount of time is required if lines are to be inserted through the mounting pin upon assembly, particularly if the bend angle of the pin is close to 90.degree., as is true of most swivel bearings.
The metallic mounting pin forms, in each embodiment, a part of the switch contact. This reduces the number of structural parts. It must be further machined for this purpose. Either the mounting pin must be provided with a separate contact element and therefore must have a two-region development, namely on the one hand a contact place and on the other hand an insulating place, or else the pin must be transformed from its circular development by cut-outs or flattenings so as to form protruding contact surfaces. These embodiments show that a metallic mounting pin by itself, particularly one produced from pipe lengths, is unfavorable from a manufacturing standpoint and is also susceptible to trouble in operation.
The disadvantages which result from such a metallic mounting pin, however, also concern the mating contact. In all cases, a contact spring is required, which provides positive contact and also selfcleans the contact surfaces. The contact spring must now be associated with other parts, namely parts of the stabilizing insert of the sun visor body. Therefore, sun visor insert must be equipped not only, as previously, with a simple mount to receive the mounting pin, but it must also have a development which reliably holds the contact spring. In the present prior art, the stabilizing insert in the sun-visor body is comprised of plastic so that the spring, after formation and mounting, must also be equipped for connection with an electric line.